WARNING: Air quality could be unhealthy for some people this holiday weekend

ATLANTA — Severe Weather Team 2 has been warning you about rising temperatures and worsening air quality for days.

Many metro Atlanta counties are under a Code Orange air quality alert Friday.

The elderly and people with breathing issues may want to stay indoors.

It’s Memorial Day weekend so of course a lot of people will want to be outside and you’ll definitely feel the heat this weekend but if you’re really sensitive to pollutants, you might notice it's little difficult to breathe.

Bill Murphey, State Climatologist for Georgia said conditions have to be just right to have an ozone violation.

Ozone is formed when pollutants caused by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries and chemical plants react chemically in the presence of sunlight.

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“As you know, ozone is an irritant to your respiratory system. It causes lung disorders, causes asthma in small children and elderly people that have emphysema,” Murphey said.

Jamie Barnes was out for a run and told us it’s hard to exercise outside when the air quality isn’t at its best.

“I feel a little winded on the very hot days,” Barnes said.

Christie Lowell said she also struggles on hot days.

“It's kind of polluted sometimes. I’m a runner and when I run, I do like to run around here because if you’re running out on the roads the air quality does get a little rough,” Lowell said.

The air quality today is moderate but could be worse this weekend.

Cox Media Group